Is this enough for a 3 year old’s birthday?

[AuntNora]

We are getting him:

Scooter
Magnadoodle
Bigjigs battery operated train
Playfoam (a bit like playdough, but less messy apparently!)
Most likely a new book

That’s it from us.

He’s getting a Tonie box from one set of grandparents and a playmobil set from the other set.
He’ll also get gifts from my brother and my DP’s brother and sister.

I always feel like there’s so much pressure to buy a lot of gifts, I don’t know why

Sounds ok for a 2 year old but at 3 they are really start to know what’s going on. What about a Lamborghini? Get leather seats though because it is wipeable and that playfoam gets everywhere!

So she receives 30+ presents at birthday, 30+ ar Christmas and a present a week, so another 50.... She genuinely gets 120+ things bought for her every year and that's JUST from you? Let alone what other adults might give her?

Just seems like an awful lot of "stuff" for anyone to have, let alone a very small child.

[quote Caspianberg]@00100001 - from the example above, my mother could easily have given us 30+ gifts at 1 year. But probably 26 of those would have been what I call essentials and would just buy my baby day to day ie bib, new weaning spoons, plate, coat, shoes, duvet cover, or similar[/quote]
I'm going to go out on a limb her and suggest that pink isn't including day to day stuff in her gifts for her baby.

I'm old, I so wish I had given them less stuff for their birthdays and put more into their savings.

@woodfort

This whole thread honestly makes me want to cry. I spend so much effort trying to buy toys second hand where possible.. but what is the bloody point?

I hear you, and I agree! I'm surprised parents haven't learnt from the Extinction Rebellion generation.

@woodfort

This whole thread honestly makes me want to cry. I spend so much effort trying to buy toys second hand where possible.. but what is the bloody point?

Every little helps.

It's not your fault that some people seems to think a baby having over 100 presents a year is absolutely not insane.

@00100001 Like I say, she is only a baby. So as she grows older she’ll get toys to replace her younger ones. They’ll get thrown/charity shopped/used for another baby if we have one.

We’re not going to keep everything we buy her forever. We’ll keep them for as long as they suit our purposes and then get rid as she gets older and her toys reflect the ages she grows into. Obviously she’ll have her favourites she takes through her life.

And no, I’m not including things like bibs/spoons/shoes etc. I consider them essentials and necessities; they’re not gifts.

[quote pinkcircustop]@00100001 Like I say, she is only a baby. So as she grows older she’ll get toys to replace her younger ones. They’ll get thrown/charity shopped/used for another baby if we have one.

We’re not going to keep everything we buy her forever. We’ll keep them for as long as they suit our purposes and then get rid as she gets older and her toys reflect the ages she grows into. Obviously she’ll have her favourites she takes through her life.

And no, I’m not including things like bibs/spoons/shoes etc. I consider them essentials and necessities; they’re not gifts.[/quote]
Instill cannot get over the fact you think it's perfectly reasonable to buy a small child o100+ toys a year.

That is the most incredible example of consumerism I've ever ever heard of in my 42 years on this planet.

Part of me doesn't even believe you.

I just can't fathom why anyone thinks that constantly giving a small child so many possessions is a good way forward in life and an ideal to aspire to...

This makes me weep for our planet. What a disgusting show of consumerism and consumption.

I would like to be adopted by @pinkcircustop as I love presents! My birthday has just been sadly but Christmas isn’t far off now!

@ShitPoetryClub

I'm old, I so wish I had given them less stuff for their birthdays and put more into their savings.

Agree with that, much more use in the long run

I know my own dd doesn't want too much stuff for dgd. I buy her books when she visits and dd leaves them here and will get her a couple of things for her birthday. I buy her clothes too,

I've still got stuff from my own grown up dc here like games

Clutter mountains with dc if not careful

I think that's a nice amount OP. I use to go mad with the dc, but have toned it down for a good few years now. I really regret a lot of the stuff we bought that they didn't play with, such a waste of money and bad for the environment. We did sell/give a lot of the toys away they didn't play with. My dc had new toys still in the boxes I gave away as the dc just weren't interested. Now they much prefer a small amount of gifts they can enjoy. Dc1 has his birthday a few days after Christmas so he's always found a lot of presents over whelming.

I’ve been reading this thread rocking backwards and forwards reminding myself that by having no children, not driving, not eating meat or dairy and not flying on planes I’m helping to offset the 100 presents being bought for @pinkcircustop’s baby every year but honestly…

It does make me want to weep.

I've voted YANBU, as each to their own. Personally, I would give the scooter plus one more, and keep the others for another time, or even towards Christmas. My DC is the same in terms of relatives being generous. A 3 year old isn't expecting a particular number of prezzies, or counting money spent. Also a scooter can be set up and made to look very exciting to open. I always put banners up and blow up lots of balloons for the room, and have all the family cards out ready to be opened first as well. DC has never looked disappointed or said "is that all?". Looks forward to family coming later with more prezzies though! Hope you have a lovely day.

@GreyhoundG1rl

I don't think 00100001 was looking for ideas 😂

I'm almost certain @pinkcircustop realises that, but has been pretty gracefully and good-humouredly batting back the sarcastic responses/questions about her post (including one from me, I admit!). Fair play to her and touché!

@Somethingsnappy she’s not graceful/good natured. She just doesn’t give a shit. See the blasé comment about throwing away the 100+ presents she intends to buy for her baby each year.

Obscene.

This makes me weep for our planet. What a disgusting show of consumerism and consumption

Someone buying their child a scooter, three smallish toys and a book for their birthday is "a disgusting show of consumerism and consumption" that has reduced you to tears? You must spend your whole life in a state of perpetual despair.

@Washimal

RTFT

Yeah, the fact of the matter is that I probably do go over the top, but if I see something I think she’ll like, I buy it because I want her to have it.

It’s not as if we just buy her a load of toys and leave her to it. We go on many days out, explore as much as we can, and covid permitting we’ll be taking her to lots of new places abroad so she can experience different environments and cultures.

I want her to have the best of the best and we’re lucky enough that we can afford that. So I buy her a lot for special events, I buy her treats when out and about, I take her amazing places, and all the while doing so I will bring her up to be grateful and respectful and appreciative for what she has.

@Meraas

That’s obscene and probably driven by competitiveness.

It isn't obscene. Don't be a dick.

It's plenty and you could have got away with less but it's perfectly fine.

[quote Meraas]@Somethingsnappy she’s not graceful/good natured. She just doesn’t give a shit. See the blasé comment about throwing away the 100+ presents she intends to buy for her baby each year.

Obscene.[/quote]
I said thrown/charity shopped/saved for another baby.

Broken toys will get thrown. Anything usable will go to charity unless we have another baby in which case they can have them.

There’s no need to misread what I said and just assume I’m going to throw everything I ever buy her away.

@Washimal

This makes me weep for our planet. What a disgusting show of consumerism and consumption

Someone buying their child a scooter, three smallish toys and a book for their birthday is "a disgusting show of consumerism and consumption" that has reduced you to tears? You must spend your whole life in a state of perpetual despair.

Sorry, this comment was in response to the poster which said received 30-40 presents from her parents and she in turn gifts her daughter 30-40 presents.

I responded to the OP saying she needn't worry, it was loads.

I will bring her up to be grateful and respectful and appreciative for what she has.

I truly think you’ll haven’t your work cut out to do that if you buy her everything she wants. And she will start wanting stuff as she gets bigger, especially if she’s so accustomed to being so utterly indulged. Good luck.

I also hope you have a huuuuge house because millions of dancing parrots and singing llamas and cuddly kittens or whatever it was you said you got her, sounds like an awful of shit to store. But each to their own I guess.

@Onairjunkie She’s too young to have “wants” at the moment, hence why I buy what I think she’ll like.

As she grows older, I’ll teach her that she can’t always get what she wants. She is most certainly not just going to ask and get. That’s part of how I’ll bring her up with respect and appreciation.

We are not going to be keeping her toys forever. Broken ones will get thrown, special ones saved, others charity shopped or given to a new baby.

You don’t have to keep everything you buy.

pinkcircustop

What your obviously very much loved baby needs most is a safe place to live. And she won't have a safe place to live if such consumerism as you are describing continues.
Save for her clean rivers, and beaches. Treasure trees to shade her and flood her with oxygen. Teach her to look out for wildlife, and plant seeds and count flowers. Read her stories and poems. Let her listen to music. There is so much you can give her that doesn't come in shops.